To build on the ongoing popularity of its doll brand, Mattel is sending its new animated movie Barbie Princess Adventure to Netflix US starting September 1.
In the musical adventure, Barbie and her friends travel to meet a princess who bears a striking resemblance to Barbie, and the two hatch a plan to swap places. Reminiscent of Mattel’s 2004 musical Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, where Barbie also trades places with a twin-like princess, the new movie is animated by Vancouver-based Mainframe Studios (Octonauts, Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures) and exec produced by Mattel’s Adam Bonnett and Christopher Keenan.
Mattel is also rolling out the movie’s soundtrack across streaming platforms on August 28.
Barbie is a hot property for Mattel right now, and one of its few sources of growth at the moment, according to its Q2 2020 financial report. In the latest quarter, big brands like Hot Wheels and Thomas & Friends contributed to a 15% decline in sales compared to the same period in 2019. There were decreases across all its segments, but unlike its other brands, Barbie saw a 7% increase in gross sales to the tune of US$199.3 million.
Mattel has also been steadily building its partnership with Netflix, and previously launched original series Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures in 2018 on the SVOD. Beyond Barbie, the toyco sold streaming rights to season 23 and 24 of its TV series Thomas & Friends to Netflix in the US, only two years after Nickelodeon picked up the show. The streamer also doubled down on the He-Man brand with two different upcoming animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation and He-Man and the Master of the Universe.